Why Cyclocross?

Why Do I Cyclocross? from hank greer on Vimeo.

One of the blogs on my regular blogroll is Cycling Spokane. It's written primarily by a guy named John, whose cycling vibe I like. The steel, wool, and adventuring good times sort. And we both cycle(d) in Eastern Wa, which to me, makes us kin.

Recently, John smartly invited his friends and conspirators to blog with him. A good move, that! I especially love this video. Simply done, but neat and warm (and they are FLYIN'!! at 1:30!!). This course was also one of my FAVORITES last year. I am super bummed that I had to miss out on the cyclocross season this fall, but you can bet that my flying mount is going to be ready come September!!

"Because I think it is a very hard and fun aerobic race." THAT IS SO CUTE! Right on!!

Faces of Cyclocross

It seems that there are a few categories of facial postures in cyclocross. See if you can match the following categories to the faces above!

1. WORRIED, fear for life.
   
2. FIERCE, I will destroy you!
   
3. DELICIOUS, my lips taste nice an' salty!
   
4. CONSTIPATION, eeehhhhhh.
   
5. ARE YOU FOR SERIOUS?! That run-up is ridiculous.
   
6. TOTAL SURPRISE. (!!!!)
   
7. Any others?
   
8. What's YOURS?!
   

StarCrossed 2009

Elite Women.

[click to enlarge]

CCY Junior Cycling Team Update

Our 2008 cyclocross season in review:


And a sneak peak at a rough sketch of our team jersey:


Visit the team website HERE!

US Gran Prix of Cyclocross, Portland

There isn't any footage of myself racing, but I ran around taking footage of the Elite fields-- mostly the women, since I can relate better and thus they were more exciting for me to watch.



The energy was festive and positive. There was a crowd gathered at a tricky section just waiting for someone to eat mud, and we'd all go, "OOOH!" or "YEAAAHHH!!" together but then immediately cheer them back up the hill, "Go get 'em! Go! Go!" Then you ring your bell, sip your beer, and eat your waffle.

Wee!

A short slideshow/video of the race can be seen HERE!

Woo!

• Woo! I won the Washington State Cyclocross Championship race!
  
• It was weird. 
  
• I went into the first barrier too fast as usual.
  
• Got back into the group and thought, "I can go faster than this."
  
• I took off.
  
• The course was super fast and played to my strengths.
  
• Crashed twice.
  
• Each time I fell a passing racer asked, "are you okay?"
  
• The second time my handlebars twisted 30 degrees out of alignment.
  
• Yanked 'em back.
• Finished the last lap with my handlebars 10 degrees off.
• Dropped the Cat 4 field by a minute.
  
• Caught all the Masters Women that started 30 seconds ahead except one (then I crashed).
  
• I ripped my favorite knee warmers!! BOO!!

Cyclocross in Ephrata

Cyclocross is weird. This weekend was totally unlike the last. There were so many hairpins (or hazards, depending on how you look at it) to slow you down, I could barely even begin to work hard. And while last week my "hammer" outweighed any gains the other women made in the corners, this week the scale tipped the other way. That's the beauty of cyclocross. I got served and it's time to 'round these corners with more HUTZPAH.

HUTZPAH! I think that's my new "race word."

More from Spokane

A musical slideshow from last weekend's race:

Cyclocross Race Report: Riding Fast in Spokane

The most fun I've had on a 'cross course yet. Probably because it played to my strengths. Comments I heard afterwards, "that wasn't a cyclocross course, that was a criterium!" or, bleary-eyed, "that was a hard course.." and gasping, "that was FAST."

Yes, so I liked the course. There was still fun singletrack, crazy bumpy twisting corners, sandy turns, two barriers ON the run-up and more... but there was also a sweeet uphill stretch of pavement. Excuse me, roadie coming through.

I also felt like I was playing "Cops and Robbers" for the entire race. I was in a group with two other women and we kept trading the lead like dice rolling out of a Yahtzee jar. As time wore on, though- any lead that was won by smartly maneuvering a corner or barrier was eventually outweighed by the hammer that struck on the run-up and the pavement-- if I may be modest. That was, needless to say, deeply satisfying. Previously a cop, hunting down the fugitives, I was now the robber making the escape. I couldn't become complacent, though. I kept pushing hard on my strong sections and played it safe in tricky sections. Riding slow in a sandy corner is a far less risky investment than riding it fast and eating it.

I also caught one of my junior riders, Phillip, who started 30 seconds in front of me in Men's B. Phillip has been a real challenge for me in hard workouts, and I think the only reason I caught him was because I was playing with two rabbits and he had none. It was a highlight of the race, though, when we tore up the run-up side-by-side with our local crowd on top of the hill encouraging us all the way. But then we hit the pavement and ol' coach's endurance paid its dividends.

I quite like this sport. I still have a LOT to learn, which only adds to the appeal. I only hope that I can carry this renewed vigor into road racing as well.











Photo Right: Alex, Phillip and I pose with our JAMIS Supernova cyclocross bikes.

Visit Bikery Racing: CCY Junior Cycling Team

A video/slideshow from the weekend will be posted there soon!

SeaTac Cyclocross

Weekly practices out at the farm has left me antsy to race, so I hopped in Justin's car (our lovely Allegro Cyclery mechanic) to Seattle and raced the "mountain biker's course" at South SeaTac on Sunday. I got a great taste of cyclocross that left me ready for another lick.

Things I expected:

• I started slow and timid, but gained confidence throughout the race.
• I didn't have the guts or experience to pass on singletrack, so I tried to take all the chances I could get to blow around riders.
• 30 minutes was too short for my taste.
  

Things I did not expect:

• I felt comfortable at the barriers.
• Despite not having practiced it, my run up was pretty good. A spectator even shouted, "hey, we've got a runner!" in response to my performance.
  
• One of the run-ups is called the "thigh master." I didn't think it was so bad.
  
• While I took a longer, 'safer' route, the sand pit was no problem.
• Not being able to clip while my cleats were clogged with sand cost me a lot of time.
  
• The announcer called me the "Lightening Bolt from Whitman" which I enjoyed.

Other conclusions:

• I wish I had started racing cyclocross in September.
  

Will I be racing A women or B women in the Inland Cyclocross Series? (includes our home races)

• A women.
  

Local Cyclocross!

Directions, times and other information on the upcoming cyclocross races in Walla Walla has been posted on the CCY Junior Cycling Team blog! Check it out!